My 1st coin I sent for grading/slabbing has returned!!!!!

This is the 1st coin I have ever gotten (not already slabbed) that I felt truely rated slabbing. Already very glad I had it done.

 

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Very nice!

 

nice coin

 

Nice, but one can find plenty of those already slabbed. Probably easier to buy it slabbed in the first place.

 

Ummm, No, there are only (now) 29 VAM-15As Slabbed in total population. All ANACs as pcgs and ngc won't certify this VAM. It is rated R6 so not plenty to be had.

 

okay, I'll ask:

Is that a Top 50 or Top 100 VAM?

 

Nope, this one doesn't make any of the lists because of the low population.

 

Population does not determine VAM lists. Check again.

 

From "VAMWORLD"
[h=1]Top 100 Morgan VAMs[/h]
The Top 100 Morgan dollar varieties were published by Dr. Michael Fey and Jeff Oxman in 1996*. It was intended to re-focus collectors and dealers onto only the most significant VAMs known to overcome the problem of "micro-vamming" - aka the search for and collection of insignificant varieties. And what a success it has been. Many of these VAMs have entered the mainstream collecting of Morgan dollars; it has become unheard of to claim a complete Morgan dollar collection without including the 1882-O/S, Scarface, Hot Lips, and an 1900-O over CC example among several other varieties.


As I said it doesn't make the lists due to low population being that it is one of those "micro-vams"

 

http://www.vamworld.com/1878-P+VAM-15

You're wrong.

It is a variation on this one.

 

I see what your saying (though wrong year 15 posted) but the lists were to my understanding created to focus collecting on the more signifcant VAMs. To me this means having a high enough population to actualy be an aquireable item. To my knowledge (which in this case may be mistaken but i don't think so) there are no VAMs with an R6 rating on any of the 3 lists hot, hit or top. In the case of this VAM the 15 only had the trippled ear, the 15A used a different reverse die with the 3 die chips and also added the large die crack through the date on the obverse, though both of these additions may only be from a later more abused state of the same dies.

 

I agree with you, although I have found over the years that there is a lot of confusion about VAMS. Some sub-categories are legitimate,and some are probably such minor variations that they're part of the original VAM. It gets really confusing collecting and researching the VAMS, as there are so many minor varieties, although the book probably categorizes them as included self-categories. No matter--that is a really nice coin and a good grab for sure. Minor variety attribution by ANACS is really good, and over the years, I have found that that is their biggest ace in the hole for Morgan collectors.

 

That's about the best thing they got going for them right now. Without getting into a debate about why, their reputation has diminished over the last few years, but they're still the only major TPG that will certify basically any identifiable (and published) variety on almost any coin, getting them business from die-hard minor variety collectors (especially Morgan dollars).